Really Real Strawberry Cupcakes

Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Servings: 20
Yield: 20 servings

Description

These from-scratch strawberry cupcakes are all-natural and made with cake flour, eggs, whole milk, unsalted butter, and freeze-dried strawberries.

Ingredients

1 1/4 ounces freeze-dried strawberries
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups white sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup whole milk, room temperature

Directions

1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line muffin tins with 20 cupcake liners.
2 Grind freeze-dried strawberries into a fine powder using a coffee grinder or food processor. Whisk together strawberry powder, flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl until well combined. Set aside.
3 Beat together sugar and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy and noticeably lighter in color. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla until incorporated.
4 Stir flour mixture alternately with milk into butter mixture until just incorporated. Portion into the prepared muffin cups.
5 Bake in the preheated oven until cupcakes spring back when gently touched with a fingertip or a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 16 to 18 minutes.